Send in the Clowns
Location: Portland, Maine Date: April 21, 1993 Story On April 21, 1993, at the Kora Shrine Circus in Portland, Maine, Oscar Glueter and the rest of the clowns were performing before a packed audience. "The Shriner clowns are a fun group of grown men, believe it or not. We're not professionals; we're businessmen. We could be lawyers or doctors, and raise money that goes to the Shrine Hospital; that's what supports it. We were doing a skit, which was called 'Dr. Acupuncture,'" said Oscar. Oscar's friend, 50-year-old Tim Gary, who had been a Kora Shrine clown for eighteen years was on the heavy side and had a hard time with this. Tim weighed somewhere between 375-400 pounds, was panting when they sat down backstage, and told Oscar that he did not feel so good. Suddenly, he collapsed on the floor and stopped breathing. Pat McFarland, a Shrine trainer with CPR training, rushed in as soon as he heard what happened. "Obviously, Timmy was in trouble. There was no breathing, his color wasn't good, and his eyes were rolled up," he explained, and he knew that Tim was in cardiac arrest and began CPR on him. Dale Gliner, another Shrine trainer with CPR training, also rushed in and both he and Pat started CPR. "When I first observed him, there was no movement, no breathing, no pulse. I was quite concerned that we may even be too late," he said. When he realized that Pat was trained, he still did not back off. Patricia Bitler, a registered nurse, happened to be volunteering at the circus that day. "Tim was a very large man and because of that factor, it was difficult; you had to strain to put his head back," she explained. When Tim's jaws locked shut, Pat almost lost his thumb trying to open his mouth and took off his red clown nose so he could pinch his real one shut to do rescue breathing. "It seemed strange to be in a position to be doing CPR on a man that was full of life," said Patricia. She could see that Tim's friends' tears were no longer fake, but with true tears falling over their faces. Within minutes, support units led by paramedic Lt. Dan Brown arrived on the scene. "When we arrived on the scene, we immediately confirmed that he was in cardiac arrest and a serious condition. But good CPR was being performed by two bystanders," he explained. He defibrillated Tim, but he still had no pulse. Members of the Portland Fire Department arrived soon after. One told Lt. Brown that they had a pulse and the monitor showed a heart beat. Tim was taken to Mercy Hospital where tests revealed that he had severe blockage in his coronary arteries. He underwent a triple bypass operation and was hospitalized for a month. Afterward, he began walking, exercising, going outside, and taking off some weight. "Somebody just saved my life. Just look at them in the eye and let them know that you really sincerely mean, 'Thank you,'" said Tim. Six weeks later, Tim was back entertaining sick and injured children at a local hospital. Category:1993 Category:Maine Category:Cardiac Arrest Category:Heart Attacks